Cloth spreading and guiding device



Oct. 19, 1937. c. H. COOLIDGE 2,096,087

CLOTH SPREADING AND GUIDING DEVICE Filed Feb. 3, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet l Oct. 19, 1937. c. H. COOLIDGE CLOTH SPREADING AND GUIDING DEVICE 2 SheefS-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 5, 1936 Edema 62 0/2955. 0001:2912 2m 0? 74% Patented Oct. 19, 1937 UNiTED STAT 2,096,087 CLOTH SPREADING AND GUIDING DEVICE Charles H. Coolidge, i/Vorcestcr, Mass, assignor to Curtis & Marble Machine Company, Worcester, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts 7 Application February 3, 1936, Serial No. 62,038

15 Claims.

This invention relates to cloth finishing machines such as shears, brushes, winders and inspecting machines, and relates more particularly to devices for guiding the cloth in its ad- I Vance movement in such machines and for simultaneously spreading the cloth transversely and removing wrinkles therefrom.

Guiding devices for this general purpose are shown in my prior Patent No. 1,919,291, granted to me July 25, 1933, and it is the object of my present invention to provide important improvements over the construction therein shown, by whichlateral deviationsin cloth travel may be more effectively and satisfactorily controlled.

To the attainment of this object I provide pairs of cone-shaped tensioning rolls so disposed that the smaller ends of the rolls are outward and the larger ends inward with respect to the center line of cloth travel.

A further feature of my invention is to provide pairs of cone-shaped rolls, one or both of each pair having a surface of relatively hard vulcanized fibre composition, and further to provide the conical surface of one roll in each pair with a recessed intermediate portion and with a cloth-engaging portion at the larger end which is preferably of substantially greater axial length than the corresponding cloth-engaging portion at the smaller end. 7

An important advantage of my invention resides in the capability of the device to operate with equal efficiency and satisfaction with the cloth traveling through the device in either direction.

My invention further relates to arrangements and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

A preferred form of the invention is shown in the drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic sectional side ele-v vation of a winding machine having my improved guiding devices embodied therein;

Fig. 2 is a plan view illustrating the normal .operation of my invention; Fig. 3 is a similar view illustrating the corrective action of my invention on the occurrence of cloth deviation; 4

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of one of my improved cloth-guiding devices, with one of the rolls, partly in section, and

Fig.5 is a, sectional end elevation, taken along the line 5-5 in Fig. 4.

Referring to Figs. 4 and 5, each of my improved cloth-guiding devices comprises a U- shaped supporting frame I0 having an upwardly projecting portion ll threaded to receive a cross screw i2 by which the supporting frame may be adjusted transversely of the machine and toward or away from the edge of the cloth.

. The frame I!) is also provided with a lower re cessed lug or projection 13 adapted to receivea cross rod 64 along which the'lug l3 slides as the frameis adjusted transversely The cross screw I2 is mounted to rotatein. a hearing at the upper end of a cross" arm. l5,

which in turn is mounted on a stud I6 pivoted in a bearing in the upper end of a fixed support-vv ing arm or stand l'l.

A hand wheel 18 is fixed to the end of the cross screw l2 and constitutes means by which the cloth-guiding devices may be manually ad-."

justed transversely of the cloth, such adjustment being necessary to adapt the device to operate with different Widths of cloth.

The cross rod 14 is. secured in the lower end. of the cross arm I5 and the entire structure may be swung about the axis of the stud Hi to position the cloth-guiding device in a plane perpendicular to the plane of cloth travel. A binding screw H! in the top of the stand I i may be utilized to hold the cross arml5 in angularly adjusted position.

It will be understood that the cross screw I2 and cross rod I 4 extend to the opposite sideof the machine where a similar cross arm l5, pivot stud l6 and stand I? are provided. It may further be stated that the cross screw I2 is commonly provided with threads of right-hand pitch at one end andleft-hand pitch at the other, so that manual rotation of the cross screw will portion of the U-shaped frame 20, and a lower' roll 3P3is rotatably mounted on the shaft 25. The

The swinging movement of each v roll 3!] is preferably provided with bearing sleeves or bushings 3! at each end thereof, seated inaxial recesses in the roll 30 and freely rotatable on the shaft 25 between collars 32.

The roll 30 is conical in shape, with the larger 5 parallel to'the planetof the cloth at the line of travel.

contact; I I V t The; second-or upper roll 40' 'of' each pair is 1 similarly provided with bearing sleeves or bushings-4|; rotatable on a shaft 42 between collars 43, substantially as previously described; The

"ends of theshaft 42 are mounted in bearing blocks and 45 which are vertically slidable in "roll, 40 I is pressed yieldingly 7 toward a lower roll slotted portions of the frame 20, as clearly shown inFig.5.' V 1 The shaft, 42, maybe secured'inthe blocks 44 onits shaft'42 and that each end portion of each 30 by one of the coil springs 48.

Each upperroll '40 is conical in shape-similar to the; lower rolls 30, butjis alsoprovided with a V peripheral recess' 50', commonly so disposed 'thiat J a the cloth engagingfportion 5| at the larger end i of the rollwill'have'an'axial' lengthsubstantially twice that,of the}.cloth-engaging;p ortiorr 52 f at the smaller' 'erid 'of the I'Olll thelongitudinalcenter line of the cloth 'than the The inner edge of the portion 5 Hnust be nearer pivot screws 21' and 22;

"Each upperjconicaljroll 40 is preferably iorm ed" of a relatively hard vulcanized 'fiber composition and each'lower'roll 3B is also more commonly formed'of thesame material, .Under some'con-l ditionsjof use, however; the lower trolls maybe provided with a-soniewhat softer rubber surface.

In F'ig. 1,'Ithave shown. diagrammatically a machine for unwinding'cloth C froma roll'RZand rewindingthe same Ian a r0113", A weight W.

provides friction for the rolllRfandi-one or, both? rof the windingcylinders S and Sffwhich support the rollr Rl'will ,be' positively 'rotated. The cloth I speed may be anything desired from veryislow T upto 100 yards per minute T The cloth C'passes arounda plurality 6 10115 Giand' is drawn forward through'my im,:

letter D and mounted on stands. IT.

proved guiding device, indicated generallyby the 7 It will be noted that the device istpositioned at such an Under these conditions, 7 angular positions indicated in Fig 2; with the inner or larger 7 ends or the cones slightly in ia'de 1 varice and with theconesthustendi-ng to spread the cloth as it is drawn through the machine. In normal operation; the portions 52 -of the cones 1 40 do not. engage the cloth C and areinoperative. 'viate iromdts normal-for centralized path-of travel, as indicated in Fig-3, thati'selvage of the As soon, however, as thecloth C startsft'o de- 'cloth which is being displaced outwardly fromiits normal position willen'gage' the portion '52 of the associated roll 40. I My improved guiding device.

' correcting operation is somewhat-diflicult, itis j: believed that these reactions are substantially as and 45 by binding screws"41,an d the'blocks-M, "follows: and'45 are yieldingly pressed downward by "coil? springs 48 which maybe variedfas to tension by adjusting screws!!! threaded in the 'frame 20.

With the construction described, it will berevi- 'dent' thateach upper roll' 4llis freely rotatable,

7 travel does not j'in any way effect the actionof' the guiding device, and that the rolls will'immediately adiust themselves-to correct guiding V 7 position for cloth travel in either direction. 'i 1 7 :65: of the rolls are assumed but in actual operation the rolls the '1 advantages thereof,=I do not wish to be limited 7 t0 the details herein disclosed, otherwise than selvage will be swung substantially to the position 5' 2 shown at thetop in Fig. 3, while the rolls at the, opposite edge'of :the fabric, or'at the bottom in Fig. 3, will remainsubstantially in normal position. a r a In actual test, the effectiveness of my improved guiding device in maintaining'centralized cloth travel has been fully demonstrated,and while an exact explanation of the reactions in thetravel:

' Undernormal conditions, the two'p'airs siren occupy the positions'shown in Fig. 2, and the cloth is guided by the;roll portions 5| which 20 cloth out or contact with eitherroll portionjlt exert an equalized spreading action, with" the Assumingthat the cloth deviates and engages the roll portion 52 of one'roll 40, as shown at? v the top in Fig. 3,. a different action. of this pair 7 of rolls immediately takesplace. 1'

,The-"selvage of the cloth-travels at the same speed as the'part engaged by the rsurface-5l.,rj but the peripheral rate of travel of the roll, portion 52 is necessarily less, due to its smaller diameter. Consequently theselvrage is pulled under thetroll portion 52 witha 'certainamount of slip, due to this lack of peripheral ,s peedqof the 4011' portion 52. This. pullingaction on the small end 52 of the roll 40- tends'tfo swingjthis pair of.

rolls about the'pivotiscrews V2I a nd 22;,to: the I position shown in Fig; 3, thus destroying; the

spreading action of the: rolls engaged'by the s'el-I vageand tendingtoguidethe cloth back'towardat the opposite or inwardly displaced selva'ge ref centralized position; Wheni'the outwardly displaced selvage clears the roll portion 52 engaged 1 thereby,- the displaced roll's' resume their normal position 'asfshown in Fig, 2.

'Whether or not this e lanation is technically exact, it has been satisfactorily proved'by, test that the rolls; assume thepositions. described and 'that'the ensuinglcorrectiye actionis prompt and I reliable. a V V V c V H a It has furthermore been satisfactorily demonstrated that a reversal of the direction of cloth In the preceding description, average positions the frames lll oscillateon their pivots and the 7 rolls continually, swing slightly to alternate sides? of their average positionsz 1 It will also be understood" that the terms up-1 Having thus: described my invention and the;

' The speed oftrotation pr thejroll; is deter-g minedQby the greater area; of contact; between the wide portion S lt-of the roll and thefclothfC, B and the roll }natura'lly rotates at sucha speed, 1" a that the wide portion 5-I'wi1lfro1l freely and with- 9 out substantial slip relative 'to the cloth C, as rthe cloth is' drawn through' therolls; 1:

. c 4511' rthecenterqline, The spreading action of the rolls 2 r 7 v0 perv and flower as used herein are merely relative as the device is operative in any plane as set forth in the claims, but what I claim is:

I 1. In a cloth guiding device of the kind where-' in a pair of guiding rolls are rotatably mounted on a support in position to engage opposite faces of a piece of cloth adjacent a selvage thereof, said cloth traveling between said rolls, and wherein said support is mounted to swing about an axis perpendicular to the plane of travel of the cloth, that improvement which, comprises providing one cloth guiding roll in each pair which is of greater effective cloth-engaging diameter at one end of the roll than at the other end, said roll having axially separated clothengag-ing portions, and in providing a second roll having a cloth-engaging portion opposing each cloth-engaging portion of said first roll, and positioning said first roll with its end of greater diameter nearer the center line of cloth travel.

2. In a cloth guiding device of the kind wherein a pair of guiding --rolls are rotatably mounted on a support in position to engage opposite faces of a piece of cloth adjacent a'selvage-thereof, said cloth traveling betweensaid rolls, and 2Qwherein said support is mounted to swing about an axis perpendicular to the-plane of travel of the cloth, that improvement which comprises providing one cloth guiding roll in each pair which is of greater effective cloth-engaging di- Dameter at one end of the roll than at the other end, said roll having axially separated clothengaging portions and with the portion of smaller diameter positioned outward with respect to the adjacent cloth selvage, and in providing a 3gsecond roll having a cloth-engaging portion opposing each cloth-engaging portion of said first roll.

3. In a cloth guiding device of the kind wherein a pair of guiding rolls are rotatably mount- 40 ed on a support in position to engage opposite faces of a piece of cloth adjacent a selvage thereof, said cloth traveling between said rolls, and wherein said support is mounted to swing about an axis perpendicular to the plane of travel of the cloth, that improvement which comprises providing one clothguiding roll in each pair which is of greater effective cloth-engaging diameter at one end of the roll than at the other end, said roll having axially separated clothengaging portions and with the portion of smaller diameter positioned outward with respect to the adjacent cloth selvage and of substantially less axial length than the portion of larger diameter, and in providing a second roll having a cloth-engaging portion opposing each clothengaging portion of said first roll.

4. In a cloth guiding device of the kind wherein a pair of guiding rolls are rotatably mounted on a support in position to engage opposite faces of a piece of cloth adjacent a selvage thereof, said cloth traveling between said rolls, and wherein said support is mounted to swing about an axis perpendicular to the plane of travel of the cloth, that improvement which comprises providing one cloth guiding roll in each pair which is of greater effective cloth-engaging diameter at one end of the roll than at the other end, said roll having axially separated cloth-engaging portions and with the portion of smaller diameter positioned outward with respect to the adjacent cloth selvage and of substantially one-half the axial length of said portion of larger diameter, and in providing a second roll having a cloth-engaging portion opposing each cloth-engaging portion of said first roll.

' 5. In a cloth guiding device ofthe kind wherein: a pair of. guiding rolls are rotatably mounted on. a support in position to engage oppositeafaces of, a piece of cloth adjacenta selvage thereof, said" cloth traveling between said rolls,,and whereinsaid support is mounted'to swing about an axis,

perpendicular to the plane of travel of the cloth,-j

that improvement which comprises providing two conicalc1oth-guiding rolls in each pair, one of said rolls having cloth-engaging portions at its ends which are substantially separated axially. and the other roll having a cloth-engaging por-- tion opposing each cloth-engaging portion of" said first roll, and positioning said conical rolls with their larger endsnearer the center line'of cloth travel. H L

6. In a cloth guiding device of the kind wherein a pair of guiding rolls are rotatably mounted on said rolls havingcloth-zngaging portions at its ends which are substantially separated axially and with the portion of smaller diameter posi tioned outwardly with respect tothe adjacent? cloth selvage and of substantially less axial-length than the portion of larger diameter, and the other roll having a cloth-engaging portion-opposing each cloth-engaging portion of said first roll. a

7. A cloth-guiding devicecomprising two pairs of cloth-guiding rolls, each of greater effective cloth-engaging diameter at one end of the roll 'than at the other; means to support said rolls for swinging movement. about axes substantially perpendicular to the plane of the cloth to be guided, each roll having cloth-engaging portions at each side of the axis about which it swings and having its end of larger diameter nearer the center line of cloth travel, and means to adjust said rolls toward and from the center line of cloth travel.

8. A cloth-guiding device comprising two pairs of cloth-guiding rolls, each of greater effective cloth-engaging diameter at one end of the roll than at the other, means to support said rolls for swinging movement about axes substantially perpendicular to the plane of the cloth to be guided, each roll having cloth-engaging portions at each side of the axis about which it swings and having its endof larger diameter nearer the center line of cloth travel, and means to adjust said rolls toward and from the center line of cloth travel, one roll in each pair having spaced cloth-engaging end portions and a recessed intermediate portion.

9. In a cloth-guiding device, two pairs of guiding rolls, and supporting frames in'which said rolls are rotatably mounted, said frames being pivoted on axes in the plane of the roll axes and substantially perpendicular thereto, said' ro-lls being conical in shape and positioned with the smaller end of each roll outward with respect to the center line of cloth travel, and each roll having cloth-engaging portions at each side of the axis on which its frame is pivoted, and said portions being axially spaced apart on one of each pair of rolls.

10. In a cloth-guiding device, two pairs of guiding rolls, and supporting frames in which said rolls are rotatably mounted, said frames being pivoted on axes in the plane of the roll axes and suhstantially perpendicularthereto, said rolls being conical in shape and positioned with the smaller end of each roll outward with respect to the'cen'ter line of cloth travel, the-upper roll in eachpair" having its conical surface recessed ,inl'its intermediate portion, and each roll having on which its frame is pivoted. r

, cloth-engaging portions at each side of the axis substantially perpendicular thereto, said rolls be V 7 .ing, conical in shape and positioned-with the smaller end-of each roll outward with respect to the center line of ,cloth travel, the upper roll in each pair having axially spjacedploth-engaging V portions, andrthe lower roll having cloth-engaging V "portionspositioned opposite each of "said: spaced portionsyr a I 212. In a cloth-guiding devic'e, two' pairs'ofiguid-1 ing'rollmandosupporting frames in which said runs are rotatably mounted, said frames being pivoted on'axes in the plane of the roll axes-and substantially perpendicular'thereto, said rolls being conical in shape and positionedgwith the i-smaller end"of each roll outward withgre'spect to i V the center line of clothrtravel, and the upper roll V 7 'inreach "pair: having axially spaced cloth 'enga'g'ing p in each pairhaving, axially spaced cloth-engaging at portions :disposed at'opposite sides of ithe asso-i I the larger end-substantially greater thanfthe portions, w'ith the axial-length of the port'i'ongja't axial length of the portion at the smaller lend, I

13. In acloth-guiding device, two pairs of guid-f ing rolls, supporting frames in which said'rcllsf on axes in the plane of the roll axes and substane tially perpendicular thereto, said rolls being com 1 are rotatably mounted, said frames being pivoited opposite each of said spaced'portions. o I 15; In a cloth-guiding device, two pairs of'guidi "upper roll. r 7

'cal in shape ,and'positioned with the smaller end of each roll outward with -r'espect to the center,

which its'frame is pivoted, and said portions be i ing axially 'spacedapart on .one of eachpalr otll lineof'clothtravel, andf each-roll having clothz f" engaging portions' atieach-side of thegaxls oniw 7 1 rolls, and means'to' limitjthe p ivotal movement of 'said supporting' frames.

7 14. In a cloth-guiding device, two pairs'of guid- V:

mg rolls, and supporting frames in which said rolls are rotatably mounted, said frames'belng, V .pivoted on:axes;in the plane of the rolliaxes and I V substantially perpendicular thereto, saidrollsibee; r 'ingr conical in shape and positioned W f h J I Y smaller rend o-f each roll outward with respect 'to' ,the center line 10fv cloth travel, the upper- :roll'fin' each pairjhavingyaxially' spaced,clothengagin 7 portions disposed at opposite s'idesofthe'asso 7 dated frame, axis, and} the lower roll in each- I a pair having .cloth-engaging" portions positioned ingrolls land supportin fr m W m id 1 rolls'are rotatably mounted, said frames, being pivoted on axes inith'e plane of the roll-axes and].

,ciated'fra'me axis, said axis being substantially at,

i the'center of length" of said-r'ollsjand nearer the'fl' "clc Jth-engaging portionat the larger end or the- H p 1 .3152 "CHARl Es H coomnen; 1 

